What makes hip hop real hop hop?

I mean, as far as everyone knows all rappers are fake and have never done anything 'gangsta' in their life. They all say they shoot people, have unprotected sex with numerous women, got shot, sell drugs, have a bunch of haters. Aside from the last claim, no one knows for sure if they are lying or not. And why do people say hip hop is dead? I mean every rapper is basically saying the same thing. And isn't hip hop supposed to reflect urban culture and gangsta culture? I mean, "gangstas" shoot people, get shot, have alotta sex, and go to clubs and do dances that consist of snapping fingers and shifting their bodies very slightly. East coast got the whole "ladies love them" thing going, West coast seems to have the whole "I will shoot any and everybody" thing going and the south has the whole "look at the easy dance as I snap my fingers and do some step" I mean, I like hip hop from when it started out to now, I just don't get why some hip hop is "real" and the rest is "fake"

What makes hip hop real hop hop?private myspace

Being true to yourself and not changing for nobody. Snoop is real hip hop because he lives what he talks about , Talib Kweli is real hip hop because he expresses himself well , Kanye West is real hip hop because he talks about what he believes in.

What makes hip hop is variety. And we need to have the LL COOL J , the Common's , the 50 cent gangsta thing and the Kanye West.

People who say hip hop is real and not fake i think they are not to judge. Rappers are poets/reporters/entertainers and as long as they are being true to themselves fully then thats real hiphop.

What makes hip hop real hop hop?myspace surveys myspace.com

big shirts %26amp; baggy pants
To make hip-hop real hip hop it's not suppose to be talkin' bout hoes ,drugs,talkin' bout how much *** dey had (etc) and is suppose to be talkin' about what they went threw in their hood(s/t) of just one that makes u dance!!!!!!!!
Wow, you are very passionate about this, I see. Why don't you write a song about it!
the lyrical content and delivery makes the difference between real hip-hop and fake hip-hop.
I thought hip-hop was supposed to be telling TRUE life experiences. No one that is extremely popular is doing that anymore. Killing people, becoming intoxicated, having numerous sex partners, bragging on your possessions, putting your existence above anything and everything? And all the while glamorizing it like its cute? C'mon. I'm not putting money in anyone's pocket for that nonsense. Hip-hop is supposed to tell the truth, not create some bogus fairytale.
It's sort of difficult to answer this because it makes you wonder what exactly is hip hop. Hears my opinion: First and foremost, be lyrical. A hip hop artist should be able to flow. You see so many people coming out with all these dance songs it kind of makes you wonder does real hip hop still exist. Rapping about real life experince is also so a key roll in hip hop. So many rappers also ways talk about how rich they are, how many girls they have, and who they shot up the other day but they not living non of the stuff they spitting on the mic. It sort of sad becuase it seems like people will rap about anything or order to sell a record.
i agree wit snickers, these young cats comin into the game are not talkin about true life, instead they're talkin about the money, the girls, the cars; all the material items..where is the heart? the emotion?....i dont like how you categorized the topics of hip hop by region, there are a few artists from the south makin music because its what they love to do and not because they're tryin to get some radio play by making up a dance...REAL hip hop moves people; not literally, but it speaks to them through their lyrics, in REAL hip hop; the lyrics have a meaning....dudes today are sellin their souls for riches....thats not real hip hop, and some of the stuff you said just makes you seem like a casual hip hop listener: "They all say they shoot people, have unprotected sex with numerous women, got shot, sell drugs"..... that's ignorance at its finest

"And why do people say hip hop is dead? I mean every rapper is basically saying the same thing"

-You just answered your own question; where is the originality in rappers speaking the same things in all of their songs?

" I mean, "gangstas" shoot people, get shot, have alotta sex, and go to clubs and do dances that consist of snapping fingers and shifting their bodies very slightly"

-thats such a vague statement; all gangstas dont shoot people, all gangstas dont get shot, all gangstas dont have alotta sex (let alone any), and how many real gangstas do you know go to clubs doin this finger snappin? stop believin everything you see or hear on t.v.

hip hop is a culture within itself, it doesnt "reflect" gangsta lifestyles.
I guess what makes hip hop real is when they talk about whats going on in their life. Like all the good times and the bad times. For example growing up in the hood and have to deal with people who sells drugs and everyday somebody is getting shot.
when it has a good beat
the factors that decide this complicated situation are as following::

A.) The songs have to degrade women AT LEAST twice

B.) The songs have to use a cuss word AT LEAST 10 times

C.) The songs have to include the n word AT LEAST once

D.) The songs have to mention bein' IN DA club!

E.) The songs have to suck
REAL hip-hop comes from the heart. It talks about the truth and nothing but the truth. Canibus and 2pac are legends in rap because they're lyrics come from the heart, possibly from past experiences. 2pacs song Dear Mama is probably how life was when he was younger. Canibus talks about the Library of Alexandria and scientific stuff. Basically real hip-hop is hip-hop that has meaning and has lyrics that aren't like "ay bay bay" or "so hot in the club i ain't got no shoes on." REAL hip-hop lyrics are like this:

Canibus, "The best of Bis orbitally rearanged

Mono atomic elements, with a deft intelligence

The highest professorship, my English etiquette

compels me to not say it if I can't spell it b**ch

My circularised 3rd Eye, sees all

Atlantis was surrounded by 4 sea walls

I read one-fourth of the Library of Alexandria

before it was burnt to the floor

I wish I could've learned more

about the shapes of the sacred geometry they used to draw

They were new millennium but Euclidian in form

ancient in many ways but not nearly as old

Carved from Egyptian gold molded in Assyria

with processed Beryllium by the quintillion

They cooked on symmetrical stoves

with my logo etched above the hole where they inserted the coal

And they barbecued birds to the bone

They burned incense in a Buckminster Fuller type dome

I talked to Mr. Fuller over the phone

and he said he had a contract to rebuild Rome

said he didn't want to do it alone

I told him I was busy writing poems"
First off you saying "all rappers are fake" is an unfair and untrue statement. I know several rappers personally (both unsigned talent and people who have been played on the radio) and they only speak about what's real. And what a lot of people don't understand is a LOT of what rappers speak on is their life. In the ghetto their are too many of our black people who feel like music, sports or drugs are their only way out of the ghetto. So most of the rappers we hear went through one of the other options before someone gave them their music opportunity.

Do I agree or am I a fan of those type of lyrics..... not really. But you can't point the fake finger until you know for sure.

To me real Hip Hop is music that comes from the person's soul. If you ain't got nothing to say except "This is why I'm Hot" then I'm not feeling the validity of your claim to be a true Hip Hop artist.

KRS - 1 the South Bronx - That's a perfect example of speaking on where you came from and your life experience and still being real Hip Hop.

Don't lump real MCs into the same catagory with these wack one's. In every aspect of life you will come across real and fake - that's just the way of our world in present day

PS

I can't speak on other regions - but I'm from LA (born and raised) not all LA MCs talk about being a "gangsta" Open up your mind check out some Pharcyde, Aceyalone, Freestyle Fellowship, 2Mex..... you'll be surprised
it has to stink like wet dog
how u rap...u cant sound corny great lyrics.....i think if the rapper can change up their tempo by raping a whole verse slow or very fast like twista then theyre good